Linger
by Fireflies on a Lake
Summary: Female!Obi-wan/Anakin.one-shot. A lifetime of Jedi teachings, and yet she waited. For a man who still had not learnt the definition of punctuality.


**Disclaimer:** Star wars belongs to Disney and George Lucas. I make no profit from this.

 **A/N:** set during an AU clone wars wherein Female!Obi-wan and Anakin are in love amidst the backdrop of the war.

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 **Linger  
**

In the bleakness of her quarters, at an unseemliest hour, Obi-wan waited. Seated on the edge of her single military-grade pallet, she twiddled her thumbs and catalogued her sins.

In all hindsight she knew better. The Jedi Code forbade the formation of attachments to another being. Failure to comply with the Code, and a Jedi risked straying from their path.

Passion was taboo, as was its more gentle counter-part _love_.

Fixation with one particular person could distract a Jedi from their duty to the greater galaxy at the large.

That was what made love, a reputedly innocuous and selfless emotion, so dangerous. Any Jedi could succumb it.

As she had.

A lifetime of Jedi teachings and Obi-wan continued to act like a darn fool, engaging in nightly ventures and hedonistic behaviour.

A lifetime of Jedi teachings, and yet she waited. For a man who still had not learnt the definition of punctuality.

 _He's late again..._

Bemused, Obi-wan glanced at the chrono on her wrist, and then back at the door. She was not surprised, Anakin could never be counted on for being on time. If it were any other circumstance, Obi-wan would be irritated by now. Though in this instance, Obi-wan didn't mind so much. In fact she wanted him to be cautious, after all what they were doing was impermissible. If extra time spent waiting meant evading speculation from the cruisers personnel, than she was more than happy to be patient.

Obi-wan rose from the pallet and crossed the threshold of her small quarters, keeping her back to the door. She could sense Anakin's impending arrival, his Force signature, distinct as it ever was pulsed with excitement. The flare of his jovial mood, burned brighter, the closer he got to her location.

Five minutes later, the door hissed open, followed by a ruffling of fabric as Anakin entered her quarters. She did not turn to face him, keeping her gaze trained on the plasteel wall ahead.

"You are late," she said by way of greeting.

A chuckle, low and familiar filled her ears. "You say that every night".

Her own lips quirked upward. "And yet nothing seems to change," she commented, with barely veiled amusement.

As the door _whooshed_ closed, strong arms encircled her waist from behind, and drew her tight against Anakin's warm, solid body. Her nostrils detected a faint whiff of spices and fuel, Anakin's own unique scent.

"Who knew the legendary Master Kenobi could be so impatient?" he teased, as he rested his chin on the crook of her left shoulder.

Obi-wan turned her head, and arched her neck to meet vibrant blue orbs. "Yes, it's my deepest, darkest secret," she said, all mock seriousness.

Anakin's eyes sparkled. It was not often that she played along with his light-hearted japes, and she knew how much it meant to him.

"You're sharing this secret with me? I feel so privileged," Anakin remarked.

"I trust my secret is safe with you?" she jested.

The glint in Anakin's eyes dimmed, and his amused expression faded. "Yes," he stated. " _It is_."

Obi-wan's own features softened, and she reached up a hand to cup Anakin's cheek. "Good, I might just hold you to that," she told him earnestly.

Words were unnecessary, not when she could sense his honesty, but Anakin spoke them anyway.

"I would never betray your secrets Obi-wan," he murmured.

Obi-wan's mouth parted slightly.

She racked her brain for some semblance of a suitable reply, but words failed her. By all the star clusters...how did one respond to such a profound, impromptu declaration? Obi-wan, renowned for her infamous sharp wit could not formulate a fitting answer. Alternatively, instead of relying on wit, taking note from Anakin, she opted for sincerity.

"I know Anakin," she said softly. Sometimes the most meaningful phrases were the simplest ones.

Anakin's face settled into a tender expression, so unreservedly genuine, her heart clenched.

Acting on instinct her thumb caressed his jaw line, the touch feather light as her fingers brushed over his skin, along his cheek bone, to the cleft of his chin, over his lips and down to his neck where her hand remained.

Anakin simply stared down at her, brilliant eyes boring into her own. Up close, his blue irises reminded her of an ocean, crystalline clear, and much like the ocean they could be stormy or calm depending on the mood of their owner.

Right now they reflected fondness.

In an achingly slow gesture, Anakin leaned his head down and kissed her. The Force bond between them blazed at the physical contact, interwoven threads of their consciousness melding together seamlessly, until the need for words became void.

Both were flushed and breathless by the time Anakin pulled his head back. They were both fools, she knew it. Willingly defying the Jedi Code, and revelling in heresy. But it was in these stolen moments when Obi-wan forgot herself, and the entire war-ridden galaxy. A breath of fresh air, amidst a sea of chaos.

She had long wrestled with her own conscious, ruminated on the consequences of giving into her feelings for Anakin. There were still times when she was given to moments of doubt.

The trial of the heart was the most perilous one for a Jedi, as she had learned firsthand, striving to balance duty and personal matters.

However most days the good outweighed the bad.

Meeting her gaze, Anakin smiled gently, and in a rare display of affection she returned the gesture.

Anakin had given her something she had never sought, never truly understood, never cared for until now.

Contentment.

Not the type of contentment attained from deep immersion in the Force, or from the satisfaction with ones place in the galaxy.

But pure and unadulterated happiness. Beautiful and dazzling in its simplicity.

Anakin had brought light, and warmth and laugher in a time of great uncertainty.

And so she had decided, despite a lifetime of Jedi teachings, she would continue to wait, for a man who would most likely never learn the definition of punctuality.

Within the Force they remained linked as one; a singular heart, and mind. As close as two beings could be aligned in the universal gravitational well.

And that was more than enough.

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 **A/N (alternatively known as author's babble): After writing Agate, I wanted a more happier ending for these two. In star wars: the clone wars tv series it was revealed Obi-wan had been willing to leave the Order during his youth for Satine the Duchess of Mandalore. I do not think it an impossibility, given the right circumstances/opportunity, for a female Obi-wan, even though she would be older and wiser during the clone wars for her to fall in love with Anakin. I think she would be very mindful of what such consequences entail. But everyone is susceptible to love, and love is the emotion that requires the most risk and is not always rational.**


End file.
